When the ancient Polynesians invented surfing, they often used a paddle to help them navigate. Fast-forward a few millennia, and Stand-Up Paddleboarding, or SUP, finds itself trendy again. Part of its increasing popularity is that standing upright allows surfers to spot waves more easily and thus catch more of them, multiplying the fun factor. Paddling back to the wave becomes less of a strain as well. The ability to cruise along on flat inland water, surveying the sights, is another advantage. Finally, its a good core workout. If youre sold on the idea, schedule an intro SUP lesson, free with board and paddle rental, and you may find yourself riding the waves like a Polynesian king.More

Many of us remember coming home from our elementary schools with freshly glazed pinchpots, cups, or whatever else our young imaginations could conjure up. Saturday mornings at the Randall Museum can bring that memory back, or create a new one for the youngsters. Ceramics make great gifts — especially on Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Hop on board for the Randall's once-weekly class, and for $6 and two weeks to have your work fired and glazed, you'll have all the materials you need.More

There are a number of reasons why you should see a show at The Regency Ballroom — its ornate, turn-of-the-century architecture and eclectic lineup of performers, to name a few — but no reason is more compelling than the venue's ample seating.

Creators of Emily the Strange assert their character's lack of originality in court

We all remember the moment in high school when we realized the goth
kids at the next lunch table — in trying to prove they were
oh-so-different by outfitting themselves in black T-shirts and lipstick
from Hot Topic — were really just conformists of another kind. Of
course, they'd be loath to admit it. That's why it's so interesting
that the creators of Emily the Strange — the international goth
icon who proclaims that there's nothing more boring to her than copying
everyone else — are on a mission to prove she is, indeed, just
like every other goth girl in history in U.S. District Court in San
Francisco.

Earlier this month, Cosmic Debris, the Berkeley-based company that
owns Emily's trademark, filed what could be called a pre-emptive
lawsuit against the creators of an Emily-like character featured in the
Nate the Great children's book series from the '70s. The suit
asks the court to bar the author and illustrator of the books, Marjorie
Weinman Sharmat and Marc Simont, from taking action against Cosmic
Debris or collecting monetary damages.

The trouble began late last year, when the blogosphere started
buzzing that Emily bore an uncanny resemblance to Rosamond, a character
from Nate the Great. Bloggers pointed specifically to one early,
now-discontinued image of Emily from the early '90s in which she
appears in her standard black dress with an entourage of black cats and
the following text: "Emily didn't look tired or happy. She looked like
she always looks. Strange." They compared it to an image of Rosamond
with a similar dress and cats with the text: "Rosamond did not look
hungry or sleepy. She looked like she always looks. Strange."

At the time, Emily's longtime illustrator, Rob Reger, posted an
explanation on the Web saying that he learned about Rosamond years
after taking over the creative reins of Emily. "We phased out the
original skateboard design upon learning of the Rosamond character and
worked with the creative team to further distinguish Emily and her
universe," he wrote. "Regarding copyright law, there is legally nothing
wrong with sharing or implementing a unique variation on a
concept."

According to the lawsuit, Sharmat and/or Simont caught wind of the
Internet debate — almost two decades after Emily first appeared
— and began contacting Cosmic Debris clients claiming the Emily
character was infringing on their copyright. Neither Cosmic Debris nor
their attorneys would comment. Sharmat would say only that it was a
"total shock" to find out about Emily the Strange on the Internet in
the past few months: "If I knew about it — I mean, what would you
have done?"

The lawsuit reads like a primer on 20th-century goth girls, and
submits as evidence pictures of Elvira, Vampira, Wednesday from The
Addams Family, Lydia from Beetlejuice, and manga characters.
"For many decades," the lawsuit states, "a common cultural motif that
has appeared in many creative works involves a woman or girl with long
dark hair, possibly bangs, and dark clothing who is associated with the
macabre, occult, mysterious, or strange, and is sometimes accompanied
by creatures such as bats or black cats."

It seems you've been lied to, Emily the Strange: Your creators say
you're as common as it gets.

Slideshows

Sub Pop recording artists 'clipping.' brought their brand of noise-driven experimental hip hop to the closing night of 2016's San Francisco Electronic Music Fest this past Sunday. The packed Brava Theater hosted an initially seated crowd that ended the night jumping and dancing against the front of the stage. The trio performed a set focused on their recently released Sci-Fi Horror concept album, 'Splendor & Misery', then delved into their dancier and more aggressive back catalogue, and recent single 'Wriggle'.
Opening performances included local experimental electronic duo 'Tujurikkuja' and computer music artist 'Madalyn Merkey.'"